Archive for August, 2014

One of the most fascinating times in the history of stand-up comedy was the 1979 strike at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Joel and Corey are well read on the history of the strike, but were too young to have any first-hand knowledge. So this week, when a vintage list of all the phone numbers of all the big future stars that participated in the strike found its way into the hands of your hosts, they couldn’t help but to call. Would Jay Leno answer? Any chance Garry Shandling picks up? Has Elaine Boosler changed her number? Listen as the guys find out for themselves. Later, their joined by Ken Sevara, a friend and fellow comic who lived through the strike, joins the show to share his memories of that time, gives his advice to comedians and shares his memories of Robin Williams. It’s a great, insightful interview with someone who lived through comedy’s golden age and lived to tell about it. Also, Joel gets another ten seconds of screen-time in a major motion picture – even though it’s awful, The Emmys become a “cool kids” clique party, Joel impresses a TV star, and The Simpsons get ruined again, this time in a whole new way. Plus, goodbye to Chelsea Lately, a show neither Joel nor Corey nor anyone with a penis actually watched.

There’s tragedy everywhere on this week’s Joel Radio. Robin Williams passed away this week and Joel and Corey have their memories of his amazing career, including Corey’s interview with him on a movie junket, and Joel being mocked by Robin on a podcast just a few years ago. The guys also recap his stand-up and movie work from the brilliant The World According to Garp and The Fisher King to later misfires like Flubber and Bicentennial Man. While lauding his wit and creativity, the guys also discuss Robin’s well-documented joke thievery – a fact, but still overshadowed by his tremendous success and personal largesse. The also discuss depression, Joel’s personal stories about the affliction and why it’s too simplistic to say that all comedians are depressed. Also, hear Joel’s awful story about a high-school screening of Dead Poet’s Society and why he’ll never see the movie the same way again. Plus, Joel and much of Metro Detroit are affected by recent floods, John Tenney calls in to promote that he’ll soon have something to promote, the internet changes stand-up comedy, and finally some respect for the ladies of The View – well, some of them anyway.